1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a side moulding for mounting on an exterior side surface of a body or door of a motor vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, side mouldings have been mounted on exterior side surfaces of a body and doors of a motor vehicle by clips or double-sided adhesive tapes.
In the case of a side moulding being mounted by clips, protruding clip-attaching parts are provided in a rear surface of a main body of the side moulding, and the clips are fitted to the clip-attaching parts, or welded thereto using ultrasonic waves, thereby attaching the clips to the side moulding. Then, the clips attached are inserted into clip holes provided in the body or door of the motor vehicle, thereby mounting the side moulding on the motor vehicle. One example of such a conventional side moulding is disclosed in Publication of Japanese unexamined patent application No. 2000-6731, on pages 3 to 4, and in FIG. 2.
In the case of a side moulding being mounted by double-sided adhesive tapes, they have been previously bonded to longitudinally extending side edges of a rear surface of a main body of the side moulding, and after peeling releasing sheets from the double-sided adhesive tapes, they have been pressed on the body or door of the motor vehicle, thereby bonding the side moulding to the motor vehicle.
In order to mount the side moulding by only the double-sided adhesive tapes, they must have a considerably large contact area against the body or door of the motor vehicle. But, since the double-sided adhesive tapes are expensive, manufacturing costs of the side moulding are caused to increase.
In addition, in order to effect a sufficient bonding force, the double-sided adhesive tapes must have a considerably large width so that it is difficult to reduce the width of the side moulding. Consequently, the side moulding cannot be freely designed, and the weight of the side moulding increases.
Furthermore, where the side moulding is mounted by the double-side adhesive tapes, a mounting area of an exterior side surface of a body or door of the motor vehicle is required to be clean and free from dust, oil or the like, and is also required to be free from surface irregularities. Consequently, the control of the assembling process of the motor vehicle becomes complicated.
In order to solve these problems, the side moulding has been mounted by clips. But, when the number of the clips is too many, manufacturing costs increase, and time and labor for mounting the side moulding also increase. Accordingly, the clips have been attached to the rear surface of the side moulding at some long distances.
Where the side moulding is mounted on the body or door of the motor vehicle by the clips attached to the rear surface of the side moulding, there may occur a gap between the side moulding and a facing exterior side surface of the body or door between adjacent clips due to the curving and the surface irregularities of the body or door of the motor vehicle.
When a gap exists between the side moulding and the body or door, noise is generated during the running of the motor vehicle, or upon the opening and closing of the door.
Recently, for reducing the weight of the motor vehicle, body panels and door panels have been made thinner. In this case, when the door is closed hard, for example, noise may be frequently generated.
Under these circumstances, as shown in FIG. 1, conventionally, a side moulding 10 has been mounted on a body or door of a motor vehicle by clips 12, and bonded thereto by double-sided adhesive tapes 14. In this example, the double-sided adhesive tapes 14 are bonded to projecting ends of ribs 16 which project from a rear surface of a main body 18 of the side moulding 10.
In another example, a soft member is formed along each of side edges of a main body of a side moulding with a duplex extrusion process for achieving a shock absorbing operation.
In the case of the side moulding 10 being mounted by both the clips 12 and the double-sided adhesive tapes 14, manufacturing costs increase, and the inserting work of the clips 12 and the bonding work of the double-sided adhesive tapes 14 are needed to increase time and labor therefor.
In addition, for ensuring sufficient bonding strength of the double-sided adhesive tapes 14, they must have a considerably large width, and accordingly, it is difficult to reduce the width of the side moulding 10, whereby the side moulding 10 cannot be designed freely.
In order to bond the double-sided adhesive tapes 14 to the body or door of a motor vehicle, the double-sided adhesive tapes 14 bonded to the side moulding 10 must be pressed on the body or door with a sufficient pressing force. To this end, the projecting height of the ribs 16 must be adjusted without scattering, and consequently, time and labor are required to control the manufacturing process of the side moulding 10.
Where the soft member is formed along each of the side edges of the main body of the side moulding by a duplex extrusion process, a border line between the soft member and a hard member appears along each of the side edges of the side moulding, thereby deteriorating the appearance of the side moulding, and increasing manufacturing costs.